Cougars Fall in Crusader Classic Finals

Ryan Huber doesn't believe much in moral victories and considers any win good, and any loss bad. But as losses go, the Cranford Cougars' 50-47 setback to undefeated Bound Brook on Wednesday evening in the finals of the Crusader Classic wasn't a bad one.

Cranford (2-3) made just 3 of 19 shots from beyond the arc and was outrebounded 41-26, and it still took a well-guarded three-pointer by tournament Most Valuable Player Lance Rivera with three seconds remaining for the Crusaders to remain unbeaten.

"A win's a win, a loss is a loss," Huber said. "We've got to learn some things from this game and bounce back and see what we can do."

The game wasn't decided until Sean Trotter's off-balance 30-footer at the buzzer bounced off the rim.

Cranford reached the tournament semifinals with a 75-70 victory over North Plainfield on Tuesday behind 33 points by Trotter.

Though Trotter knocked down 13 of 15 free throws against Bound Brook, he struggled to get many open looks against the taller Rivera, who spent most of the evening hounding him. Still, Trotter managed to score a team high 18 points, snag three steals and grab five rebounds.

"They made a conscious effort to take him away and other guys need to step up," Huber said. "Some guys did, but they just made a great shot at the end."

The Cougars, after making just 3 of 14 shots in the opening period and trailing 13-9, enjoyed their only solid offensive quarter in the second period when they made 6 of 9 shots. Joey Papendrea, who along with Trotter made the All-Tournament team, got a steal and breakaway basket with 15 seconds left and Cranford carried a 26-21 lead into the locker room.

"We have to take what they give us," Huber said of Cranford's early rash of three-point attempts. "They were giving us some open threes early, but we also passed up some open shots later. Our shooting early on hurt us, but I don't think they were necessarily quick shots, but they weren't necessarily great shots."

Papendrea, who had five of Cranford's 13 steals, gave the Cougars their biggest lead with a drive and scoop 30 seconds into the third quarter to make it 28-21. But the one-two punch of Rivera and Jaquan Peayer, began to peck away at the lead and Rivera's steal and lay-in eventually knotted the score at 31 midway through the period.

Papendrea's free throw and Kurt Rutmayer's three put Cranford back on top, and Trotter made 3 of 4 free throws after a shooting foul and a technical foul to extend the lead to 38-33 with 1:06 left in the period. A turning point came just seconds later, though, when Trotter missed a three that would have put Cranford up eight, and Rivera quickly answered with a three of his own at the other end. Then, with just five seconds left, Rivera got a steal and sent the ball ahead to Peayer, who tied the game at 38-38 with a lay-up at the buzzer.

The Crusaders took their first lead since the 6:05 mark of the second period on a rebound basket after three misses with 6:30 left in the contest. Bound Brook grabbed 14 of the first 15 rebounds in the second half. Trotter's two free throws tied the game and, after a Peayer three-pointer, Reggie Green tied it with a bucket and a free throw with 3:32 left.

Trotter answered a pair of Crusader free throws with two of his own, but Bound Brook reclaimed the lead at 47-45 when Rivera got a putback after Mark Osofsky blocked his shot. With 55 seconds left, Trotter banked one in on a drive from the right wing to tie the game at 47-47.

Rivera hit the go-ahead three from the right wing with just three seconds remaining. He scored a game-high 20 points. Peayer added 17.

Green, just a sophomore, showed his potential with a pair of nifty spin moves in the first half and on his three-point play that tied it late in the game. Green also grabbed four rebounds and had a couple of steals, but was in foul trouble much of the second half.

"He's going to be a great player for us," Huber said.

Papendrea had 13 points for the Cougars, including four rebounds and five steals and an assist.

"Joey is a gamer," Huber said. "He's not always a scorer that gets his name in the paper all the time. He's a kid you're going to build your team on. He comes to work every day and does all the little things you need to win games. To be a successful program, you need kids like that."

Rutmayer had five points and four rebounds, while Sean Babos dished out three assists and had a couple of steals before fouling out late in the final period.

Cranford was 14 of 43 overall and 16 of 24 from the line. The Cougars took good care of the basketball, turning it over only 10 times. Bound Brook (5-0) made 17 of 47, including 6 of 16 from deep, and 10 of 15 from the line. The Crusaders had 16 turnovers.

Next up is a 4 p.m. tip against winless Elizabeth in Cranford on Tuesday.

"We're going one game at a time," Huber said. "When we get on that bus, our focus is going to be on Elizabeth."